Cheesy Broccoli Casserole

Preheat oven to 350 F.

Steam the broccoli for about 7 minutes using your favorite steaming method. Once broccoli is a nice bright green color, remove it from the steamer and chuck it into a bowl of ice water! This is known as blanching the broccoli and is done to preserve the nice green color and to maintain a crisp texture. Otherwise, that bright green gets dull and that crispy crunch turns to mush. And no one likes mushy broccoli (though I’m sure some do)!

While the broccoli is steaming, take a nice big pot and cook the onions with the oil on medium low heat to soften them up.

After about 5 minutes (once you’ve had a chance to throw the broccoli into that ice water), add the soups, sour cream, and about ¼ of the cheddar cheese into the pot with the onions. Cook, covered, on medium heat for about 10 minutes.

Drain the broccoli and mix it into the pot on the stove. Mix in the sliced almonds as well.

Pour the mixture into a baking dish (I used a 1.5 quart round casserole dish) and top with remaining cheddar cheese. Cover the dish with a sheet of foil. Place in the oven and bake for about 25 minutes.

Remove casserole dish from the oven, remove foil and top with the french-fried onions. Place it back in the oven for 5-10 minutes, until the top is golden brown. Remove from oven.

Admire that piping hot bowl of broccoli goodness. Spoon onto plates, and eat up! You might just like it more than the main dish!